Summaries for Chagas Disease

MedlinePlus :42
What is Chagas disease?
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is an illness that can cause serious heart and stomach problems. It is caused by a parasite. Chagas disease is common in Latin America, especially in poor, rural areas. It can also be found in the United States, most often in people who were infected before they moved to the U.S.
What causes Chagas disease?
Chagas disease is caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite. It is usually spread by infected blood-sucking bugs called triatomine bugs. They are also known as "kissing bugs" because they often bite people's faces. When of these bugs bites you, it leaves behind infected waste. You can become infected if you rub the waste in your eyes or nose, the bite wound, or a cut.
Chagas disease can also spread through contaminated food, a blood transfusion, a donated organ, or from mother to baby during pregnancy.
Who is at risk for Chagas disease?
Kissing bugs can be found throughout the Americas, but they are more common in certain areas. The people who are most at risk for Chagas disease
Live in rural areas of Latin America
Have seen the bugs, especially in those areas
Have stayed in a house with a thatched roof or with walls that have cracks or crevices
What are the symptoms of Chagas disease?
In the beginning, there may be no symptoms. Some people do get mild symptoms, such as
Fever
Fatigue
Body aches
Headache
Loss of appetite
Diarrhea
Vomiting
A rash
A swollen eyelid
These early symptoms usually go away. However, if you don't treat the infection, it stays in your body. Later, it can cause serious intestinal and heart problems such as
An irregular heartbeat that can cause sudden death
An enlarged heart that doesn't pump blood well
Problems with digestion and bowel movements
An increased chance of having a stroke
How is Chagas disease diagnosed?
A physical exam and blood tests can diagnose it. You may also need tests to see whether the disease has affected your intestines and heart.
What are the treatments for Chagas disease?
Medicines can kill the parasite, especially early on. You can also treat related problems. For example, a pacemaker helps with some heart complications.
Can Chagas disease be prevented?
There are no vaccines or medicines to prevent Chagas disease. If you travel to areas where it occurs, you are at higher risk if you sleep outdoors or are staying in poor housing conditions. It is important to use insecticides to prevent bites and practice food safety.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Disease Ontology :12
A trypanosomiasis that is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to humans and other mammals by an insect vector, the blood-sucking assassin bugs of the subfamily Triatominae (family Reduviidae), most commonly species belonging to the Triatoma, Rhodnius, and Panstrongylus genera. The symptoms include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, swelling of the eyelids and myocarditis.

NIH Rare Diseases :52
Chagas disease is caused by the parasite , Trypanosoma cruzi . The triatomine bug, which can carry the parasite, most often bites a person's face and therefore is more commonly known as the "kissing bug". When a triatomine bug infected with Trypanosoma cruzi bites, it can leave behind infected waste which can be spread into the person's eyes, nose, or a wound. Chagas disease can also spread through contaminated food, a blood transfusion , a donated organ , or from mother to baby during pregnancy. Symptoms may include fever, flu-like symptoms, a rash, or swollen eyelid. Early symptoms usually go away without treatment, but can last a few weeks or months. However, if not treated in the early phase, the parasite can become active again years later. In fact, 20-30% of infected people will later develop serious problems affecting their heart, intestines, or espophagus. This risk is greater for those with a weakened immune system . Chagas disease is common in Latin America, but not in the United States. The two drugs used to treat Chagas disease are nifurtimox and benznidazole. On August 30, 2017, the FDA approved benznidazole to treat Chagas disease in children between the ages of 2 to 12 years old. Nifurtimox may also used to treat Chagas disease. Although not FDA approved, nifurtimox can be obtained for the treatment of Chagas disease in the United States through special CDC studies. Similarly, benznidazole is also available through special CDC studies for those with Chagas disease whose treatment is deemed necessary by their doctor but whose age falls outside FDA approval.

CDC :3
Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and people by insect vectors and is found only in the Americas (mainly, in rural areas of Latin America where poverty is widespread). Chagas disease (T. cruzi infection) is also referred to as American trypanosomiasis.
It is estimated that as many as 8 million people living in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease, most of whom do not know they are infected. If untreated, infection is lifelong and can be life threatening.
The impact of Chagas disease is not limited to only rural areas of Latin America in which vectorborne transmission (diseases transmitted by insects) occurs. Large-scale population movements from rural to urban areas of Latin America and to other regions of the world have increased the geographic distribution and changed the epidemiology of Chagas disease. In the United States and in other regions where Chagas disease is now found but is not endemic, control strategies should focus on preventing transmission from blood transfusion, organ transplantation, and mother-to-baby (congenital transmission).

Wikipedia :74
Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the... more...

Cardiovascular Health Investigation and Collaboration From Countries of America to Assess the Markers and Outcomes of Chagas Disease (CHICAMOCHA-3) - EQUITY (Equivalence of Usual Interventions for Trypanosomiasis)

Clinical Study Comparing the Nifurtimox-Eflornithine Combination With the Standard Eflornithine Regimen for the Treatment of Trypanosoma Brucei Gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis in the Meningoencephalitic Phase

Prospective, Single-arm, Multicentre Study, Using a Historical Control, to Evaluate the Efficacy/Safety and Population Pharmacokinetics of Benznidazole in Children With Chronic Indeterminate Chagas Disease

Open Label, Randomized, Single Dose Cross-over Study to Assess Bioequivalence Between Single 120 mg Nifurtimox Tablet and Four 30 mg Nifurtimox Tablets Administered Orally, Following High Calorie/High Fat Meal to Adult Male and Female Patients Suffering From Chronic Chagas' Disease and to Determine the Pharmacokinetics of Nifurtimox Tablets Administered Orally, in a Form of Aqueous Slurry

Non-blinded, Randomized, Single Center, Single Dose, Cross-over Study to Assess the Effect of a High Calorie/High Fat Meal on the Pharmacokinetics of Four 30 mg Nifurtimox Tablets Taken Orally by Adult Male and Female Patients Suffering From Chronic Chagas' Disease

Open Label, Randomized, Single-dose, Cross-over Study to Evaluate the Relative Bioavailability, Safety, and Tolerability of Single Doses of Nifurtimox 30 mg Tablets Exhibiting Different in Vitro Dissolution Characteristics, and to Evaluate the Relative Bioavailability of Nifurtimox 30 mg and 120 mg Tablets, Administered to Adult Male and Female Patients With Chagas' Disease

Open-label, Randomized, Single-dose, Cross-over Study to Evaluate the Influence of Dietary Habits on the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of a 120 mg Dose and to Assess the Relative Bioavailability of a 240 mg Dose of Nifurtimox Tablets Administered to Adult Male and Female Patients With Chagas' Disease